Fish misidentified in 2006 recognised as new species 20 years later
A deep-reef fish specimen collected in 2006 has been identified as a new species after sitting in a museum collection for nearly two decades. The discovery highlights the difficulty of identifying deep-sea life and the ongoing value of museum archives.
Why it matters
It underscores the importance of biological research and the vast amount of undiscovered biodiversity that remains hidden in scientific collections.
Some discoveries happen the moment a specimen is collected. Others take years. In this case, it took nearly two decades.A tiny deep-reef fish brought up from the waters off South Australia in 2006 spent nearly two decades in a museum collection after being mistaken for a known species. According to a study published in the Journal of Lost Species, researchers recently took a fresh look at the specimen and realised it was something entirely different, a species that had never before been described. The finding is a reminder that museum collections can still hold remarkable discoveries even years after fieldwork has ended.A specimen hidden in plain sightWhen the fish was originally discovered during a deep water expedition, it seemed rather unremarkable.
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